NEWPORT — Ice removal in Newport after the January ice storm was not an easy task, nor a quick one, Public Works Director Jack Wilson told selectmen Wednesday night.

Wilson was responding to criticism from a resident on Durham Bridge Road who complained about his driveway being blocked with ice during cleanup a month after the storm.

Bruce Bragdon said he arrived home one day in February and was unable to get into his driveway because of the large volume of ice pushed off the roadway by town equipment. Bragdon said the town crew should have returned or stopped in conjunction with the work to clear the ends of every driveway that was made impassable. He added that the courtesy was extended to townspeople living in the village area, but not to rural residents.

“It’s not right to do for some and not for others,” Bragdon said. “It’s my tax dollars that pay for that in town, but not in the rural area?”

Bragdon asked if there was a written policy addressing the problem.

Selectman John Buckland agreed with Bragdon, explaining he had a similar problem and has to use his own equipment to clear his driveway. He asked the board to consider a policy for fairness between rural and in-town residents.

Chairman Al Worden emphasized the ice storm was a rare circumstance that is not likely to occur in the near future. He said there are many differences between the residents in each area that often give the in-town residents an advantage.

Wilson explained time and funding constraints made it impractical to return to clean out driveways. Ice removal was timed to the weather conditions and paid for with Federal Emergency Management funds. The two factors did not allow for clearing individual driveways.

In other business, Code Enforcement Officer Fred Hickey asked the board to authorize legal action against a Highland Avenue property owner who has refused to comply with land-use laws in allowing his property to look like a junkyard. Action on the property has been delayed since 1996, Hickey said.

Selectmen asked Hickey to provide one additional 30-day notice to the owner before proceeding with legal action.

Hickey said several other properties will also require legal action, but he wants to address them one at a time.

The board also voted to double disposal fees for tires at the town’s transfer station. When reduced rates for the town’s disposal rates at the Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. were negotiated, the fees were cut in half. With rates going up for Newport at PERC, Wilson asked that the previous fees be reinstated.

Wilson also told the board he would like to reduce the weights allowed on posted roads. The state allows trucks less than 23,000 pounds to travel on posted roads. Wilson feels the weight should be less on some town roads to prevent damage.

The board hopes to meet next week, after new selectmen are elected Friday, to review applications for town manager.